In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. I also grow a smaller number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Pearlicious XXII’.
In 2003 I made a first generation hybridization using ‘6P740’ (unpatented) yellow flesh nectarine as the selected seed parent and ‘Diamond Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,242) white flesh nectarine as the selected pollen parent. The fruit of this cross was gathered that spring and the seeds were removed from the fruit, stratified, germinated, and grown as seedlings on their own root in my greenhouse. Upon reaching dormancy that winter, the seedlings were transplanted as a group to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2007 I selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, ‘Diamond Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,242) nectarines by producing white flesh nectarines that are sub-acid, sweet, firm, medium size with bitter kernels, but is quite distinguished therefrom by having globose instead of reniform leaf glands and by producing fruit that is semi-freestone instead of clingstone and that matures about twelve days earlier.
The present variety is most similar to ‘Pearlicious I’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,758) nectarine by being self-fertile and producing white flesh nectarines that are nearly full red in skin color, firm in texture, sweet in flavor, and about the same size, but is distinguished therefrom by requiring more chilling hours, by blooming later, by having globose instead of reniform leaf glands, and by producing fruit that is semi-freestone instead of clingstone in type, that has more acid, that has a bitter instead of sweet kernel, and that ripens about three days earlier.